Street-car illuminated sign



No. 624,776. Patentd May 9, I899. w. n. EVANS.

STREET CAR ILLUMINATED SIGN.

(Application flled Dan. 20, 1897.)

(No Model.) fi c,

m: NORRIS PETERS co. PNOIO-LITHQ, WASHINGYON. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN R. EVANS, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

STREET-CAR ILLUMINATED SIG N.

- SBECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,776, dated May 9, 1899.

' Application filed December 20,1897. Serial No. 662,738. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IVARREN R. EVANS, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland, State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Sign for Street-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signs adapted for street-car use; and it comprises'the series of signs mounted upon rotatable supports and adapted to automatically assume proper positions for the display of the sign when the carrier or supporting means is turned by the operator.

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the invention applied to the car-roof. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the-rotary carrier for the sign-boards. Fig. 3 is a transverse section across the carrier with the signboards in place. Fig. at is a detail view showing the support for the rotary carrier. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of amodification.

The slanting roof of the car is shown at A, and the invention is applied to this slanting roof, so that the sign-boards will be directly opposite the windows or ventilators at the top of the car, this location causing the light from the lamps in the top of the car to shine through the signs, so that they will be clearly visible-at night.

The rotary carrier for the sign-boards consists of the disks B and the connecting shaft or rod B. Journals B extend beyond the disks B. and hear at one end in an inclined slot I of standard E, which extends up from the car-roof. The sign-boards are hung on pins F a little off center, so thatas the carrier rotates the outer sign-board (marked 0 in Fig. 3) will always be vertical, while the upper and lower sign-boards a Z will assume horizontal positions by reason of their ends abutting against stop projections G on the 1 inner faces of the disks B. There are three of these sign-boards in Fig. 3, and three stops are shown. On the peripheries of the disks detent projections II extend radially, there being three of these, andthey are adapted to engage in succession a stop J, carried by the bracket J on one of the standards E, a spring K serving to prevent backward movement of the rotary carrier. The detent-stops are so arranged that when either of them strikes the stop J one of the sign-boards Owill be at the outer side of the rotary carrier in vertical position, while the other two will be in substantially a horizontal position, thus leaving a space between the latter two for the passage of the light from the lamps of the car at night or for the purpose of leaving a free background in the daytime. By pivoting the sign-boards slightly off center they will antomatically assume the position described. The rotary carrier may be moved by simply lifting one end in the inclined slot, so as to disengage the detent II from the stop J and spring K, and the operator by giving a rotary movement to the carrier after being thus released can bring the next sign-board into proper position for the display of its sign.

In Fig. 5 a modification is shown in which "four sign-boards are used instead of three,

and in this form the boards as they reach the position 0 simply fall into a horizontal position, so as to leave an unobstructed passage for the light. The conductor of the car may turn the rotary carrier with a pole or other suitable device.

I claim as 'my invention- 1. In combination with a rotary carrier, a series of sign-boards pivotally hung thereon and adapted to automatically assume vertical and horizontal positions with an open space at the back for the passage of the light from one side of the carrier through the same and the outer sign-board, substantially as do scribed. I

2. In combination, the rotary carrier, the series of sign-boards pivotally secured thereto with stops for limiting the swinging move-- ment of the sign-boards to hold the upper and lower boards in horizontal position and with the open back for the free passage of the light, the open back and the position of the sign board at the front being maintained by the automatic action of the sign-boards in. con nection with the stops, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the rotary carrier comprising the disks, the rod connecting them, the three sign-boards pivoted to the inner faces of the disks, three stops projecting from the disks to hold two ofthe sign-boards horizontal while theouter board is vertical, sub stantially as described.

4. In combination, the standard having the front and an open back at each action of the slot, the stop J, a spring K, the rotary carrier rotary carrier, substantially as described. having the sign-boards'pivoted thereon With detent projections H extending from the periphery of the disks, the said sign-boards be- \Vitnesses: ing pivoted eccentrically and assuming an- JOSIAH H. DRUMMUND, J12, tomatically positions to maintain a closed 7 FREDERICK E. LEIGHTON.

WARREN R. EVANS. 

